Maine Memory Network

Heywood House mirror, Bucksport, 1820

Contributed by: Bucksport Historical Society Date: 1820 Location: Bucksport Media: Wood, glass

Luke Lambard to U.S. Marshall Thornton about 1820 census, Bath, 1820

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: 1820 Location: Georgetown; Woolwich; Dresden Media: Ink on paper

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Home for Aged Men, Portland, 1915-1924

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: 1915–1924 Location: Portland Client: G. W. Brown Architect: John Calvin Stevens and John Howard Stevens Architects

Proposed State Capitol Building, Portland, 1889

Contributed by: Maine Historical Society Date: 1889 Location: Portland Client: unknown Architect: John Calvin Stevens and Albert Winslow Cobb Architects

Northern Threads: Early Republic era Fashion dolls

A themed exhibit vignette within "Northern Threads Part I," featuring Early Repulic-era (ca.1780-1820) fashion dolls.

State of Mind: Becoming Maine

The history of the region now known as Maine did not begin at statehood in 1820. What was Maine before it was a state? How did Maine separate from Massachusetts? How has the Maine we experience today been shaped by thousands of years of history?

Maine's Road to Statehood - The Missouri Compromise: A Moral Dilemma

"Proclamation of statehood, 1820 Statehood at last! Written by William King—Maine's first governor—on March 16, 1820."

Maine's Road to Statehood - Overview: Road to Statehood

"… brought Maine into the Union as a free state in 1820, allowing politicians in Washington to delay a growing sectional crisis over the future of…"

Josiah Parsons Home Westport Island Maine
by Deborah G. Greenleaf

Westport Island historical information

Maine and the Atlantic World Slave Economy
by Seth Goldstein

How Maine's historic industries are tied to slavery

Primary Sources: Daily Life in 1820

Grade Level: 6-8, 9-12 Content Area: Social Studies
This lesson plan will give students the opportunity to explore and analyze primary source documents from the years before, during, and immediately after Maine became the 23rd state in the Union. Through close looking at documents, objects, and art from Maine during and around 1820, students will ask questions and draw informed conclusions about life at the time of statehood.

Becoming Maine: The Votes for Statehood

Grade Level: 3-5 Content Area: Social Studies
Maine became a state in 1820 after separating from Massachusetts, but the call for statehood had begun long before the final vote. Why did it take so long? Was 1820 the right time? In this lesson, students will begin to place where Maine’s statehood fits into the broader narrative of 18th and 19th century American political history. They will have the opportunity to cast their own Missouri Compromise vote after learning about Maine’s long road to statehood.